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New panda cub goes on display at Washington Zoo

Ben KnightUpdated
Mon 20 Jan 2014, 3:49 PM AEDT

In Washington DC on the weekend, the National Zoo's panda cub Bao Bao went on public display for the first time. This was a big moment for DC and feeds into a bigger - and encouraging - fact... 2013 was a record year for panda births around the world.

Transcript

SCOTT BEVAN: In Washington DC on the weekend, the National Zoo's panda cub Bao Bao went on public display for the first time.

This was a big moment for DC and it feeds into a bigger and encouraging fact: 2013 was a record year for panda births. Around the world, of the 45 born, 42 survived and researchers say they hope some of those pandas bred in captivity will begin being released into the wild.

BEN KNIGHT: The first appearance of the panda cub Bao Bao is something that a lot of people here have been looking forward to for really the five months since she was born.

(Zoo visitors ohh-ing and ahh-ing)

And that includes us because, just like a lot of other people in this city, we've been starting each day by checking in on the camera that's showing Bao Bao and her family just waiting for the day that we could come and see them face to face for the first time.

ZOO VISITOR: He's grown. Huge.

BEN KNIGHT: And of course we weren't the only ones.

WOMAN: It's being a part of history. I live nearby and if I didn't go see baby Bao Bao I think I might regret it.

BEN KNIGHT: Any panda birth is good news because they are still one of the most endangered species in the world. There are 376 pandas in captivity and only around 1,600 left in the wild.

Of course pandas themselves make it pretty difficult. They're notoriously bad at breeding. Females are only fertile and receptive for one 36 hour window once a year. They'll only breed every two years and will only care for one baby at a time.

And Bao Bao's parents happen to be particularly awkward.

The male didn't have a clue what to do. Even after he was shown the equivalent of panda erotica videos, it still didn't click. Zoo keepers tried building a special platform that would trip the female over into a mating position right there in front of him. But his response was to stand on her back.

So it was artificial insemination. But that worked and Bao Bao is another success story for panda breeding and not just breeding in captivity.

JONATHAN BALLOU: I suspect in the future we will be talking about creating pairs to produce cubs to release into the wild.

BEN KNIGHT: Jonathan Ballou is the population manager at the Washington Zoo.

JONATHAN BALLOU: Up until about four years ago, the focus was really on trying to create as many pandas as possible, which is important when you have a small population because you need to get it large. But as the population becomes larger, then you can focus more on genetic management.

BEN KNIGHT: Bao Bao's birth is great news for the zoo itself. It's been under pretty intense scrutiny over the care of some of its other animals, from a red panda that escaped out into the city to a deer that jumped into the cheetah enclosure next door, with predictable results.

But the joy is sadly temporary. Bao Bao might have been born here, but she does not belong to the Washington Zoo.

JONATHAN BALLOU: Since all the pandas belong to China it's pretty good that we get to keep Bao Bao for four years.

BEN KNIGHT: It's going to be hard to say goodbye.

JONATHAN BALLOU: Yeah. It's pretty - but I think after a while everyone's going to be like okay she's not cute anymore and then they're just going to find another animal, a baby tiger or something. It's pretty mean.

BEN KNIGHT: This is Ben Knight at the National Zoo in Washington DC reporting for The World Today.